Plug Specifications 1
Spence Restoration
Nursery
“Giving Nature a Helping Hand”
Specifications for Installing Native Plant Plugs
Part 1 General
1.01 Section Includes
A. Preparation
B. Plug Installation
C. Maintenance
1.02 Environmental requirements
Installation shall be performed between April 10 and October 1. If site is prepared at any other time of the year, stabilize with the following seed mix per acre.
64 lbs seed oats (Avena sativa)
25 lbs annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum)
Under no circumstances shall the site be stabilized with winter rye, grain rye, or
winter wheat. These plants produce toxins that inhibit prairie seed germination.
Part II - Products
2.01 Plugs
A. Plugs shall be in 2 3/8” square X 3 ¾” deep open-bottomed pots.
Plugs shall be thoroughly rooted through the container. No species shall
be substituted without approval of the architect.
B. Plugs shall be inoculated with VAM (Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizae)
endomycorrhizal fungi as provided by Spence Restoration Nursery or
approved source where available.
Plug Specifications 2
2.02. Mulch
Mulch shall be clean black leaf compost. Compost shall not contain manure or bio-solids
2.03 Plugs
Grasses
Little Bluestem (Andropogon scoparius)
Side-Oats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)
Northern Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)
Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)
Wildflowers
Nodding Wild Onion (Allium cernuum)
Heath Aster (Aster ericoides)
Smooth Aster (Aster laevis)
New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)
White False Indigo (Baptisia leucantha)
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)
Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum)
Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
Sweet Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)
Grey Goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis)
Riddell's Goldenrod (Solidago riddellii)
Smooth Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata)
Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
Part III - Execution
3.01. Verification
A. Verify that site is within 4 inches of specified grade.
B. Verify that site is clean and free of debris.
3.02Preparation
A. If vegetation exists on the site, apply a 2 % glyphosate herbicide at least
two weeks prior to installation on all actively growing vegetation. Verify
that a good kill has resulted from the herbicide application prior to
planting.
Plug Specifications 3
B. Spread specified mulch to a depth of two inches across the area to be
plugged.
C. Do not apply any fertilizer other than compost.
3.03Installation
A. Use an auger or other appropriate tool to excavate planting holes on 1 foot
centers in a staggered pattern.
B. Evenly distribute prairie grasses throughout planting. Place wildflowers in
informal drifts of 3-7 of any one species with the edges blended into
adjacent species to avoid a formal appearance.
C. Plant plugs level with existing soil grade. Be certain that soil is placed
around the plugs and firmed into place. Do not fill around plugs with
mulch.
D. Thoroughly soak plugged area with water until soil is moist to a depth of 4
inches.
3.04 Maintenance
A. Pull weeds of the following species deemed detrimental to prairie
plantings.
Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense)
Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota)
Sweet Clover (Melilotus spp)
B. Subsequent waterings shall be the responsibility of the owner. Watering
and rainfall shall supply a minimum of 1 inch of water per week.
3.05 Acceptance
A. Plugs shall exhibit vigorous growth and be thoroughly rooted by the end of
first growing season.
B. A minimum of 95% of plugs shall be alive and growing at the end of the
first growing season.
Spence Restoration Nursery
P.O. Box 546, 2220 E. Fuson RoadMuncie, IN47308
Tel: (765) 286-7154 Fax: (765) 286-0264
Internet: